Defoaming apparatus



March 12, 1935. D. D. PEEBLES 1,993,944

DEFOAMING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 19, 1933- FIE-l- INVENTOR flaw/b Z7. eeb/es ATTORNEYS Patented Mai-.12, 1935 1,993,944

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE L nnr'oammo arrana'ros David D. Peeblea, Eureka, Calif. Application September 19, 1933, Serial No. 690,106

6 Claims. (01. 183-2-6) This invention relates generally to apparatus chamber 18 through the outlet Open n 24, and, for the treatment of various liquid materials to as shown in Figure 1, this outlet opening preferdeform the same. Such apparatus is useful in ably leads of! tangentially from the periphery of many commercial processes and systems where the casing. In order to permit the escape of air the liquid material being treated or handled tends or other gas removed from the material being 5 to foam or froth to a detrimental degree. treated, the casing is shown in communication It is a general object of the invention to prowith the atmosphere through openings 25. vide an apparatus of the above character which In order to secure proper defoaming action, and will be highly effective in its action and which in order to automatically prevent the discharge will kill foam or froth without chemical treatment of material which'has not been properly defoamed, 10 or wastage of the foamedcomponent. a flow control valve 26 has been shown inserted A further object of the invention is to provide in the pipe line 23. This fiow control valve is an apparatus of the above character which will actuated in response to varying fluid pressure, be extremely simple in its construction and operand to this end is shown provided with a flexible ation, and which will require a relatively small diaphragm 7, D n id f whi h a l d 15 amount of power for its operation. fluid chamber 28 is formed. Diaphragm 27 is Another object of the invention is to provide a connected to the stem or like movable opera in defoaming apparatus which will be largely automember'of the valve 26, and a suitable bias, such matic in its operation, and which can be operas a compression spring 29, is provided so that ated where the fiow of material supplied thereto the valve is normally urged toward closed posi- 20 may be variable. tion. Pressure chamber 28 is shown connected Further objects of the invention will appear by fluid pipe 30 with the casing 16. The point from the following description in which the preof communication between the pipe 30 and the ferred embodiments of the invention have been casing 16 is located inwardly with respect to the set forth in detail in conjunction with the accomoutlet 24, as illustrated in Figure 1, for a reason 25 panying drawing. which will be presently explained.

Referring to the drawing: Operation of the apparatus described above is Figure 1 is a side elevational view, in crossasfollows: section, illustrating an apparatus incorporating The liq material which it is desired to dethe present invention. foam is fed by gravity through p n the 30 Figure 2 is a side elevational view, partly in shaft passage 19, from which it flows into the cross-section, illustrating a modified form of apcasing 16 through the ports 22. Shaft 10 is roparatus. tated at a relatively high rate of speed, so that Referring first to Figure 1, the apparatus illusthe liquid material received in the casing chamtrated therein consists of a shaft 10 rotatablysupber 18 is swirled about the interior of the casing 35 ported by the journals 11 and 12. Mounted upon with a minimum of slippage with respect to the the shaft 10 there is an impeller 13, which is proimpeller. Foamed components of the liquid feed, vided with aplurality of radially extending when subjected to the swirling action, are broken paddles or vanes 14. Embracing the impeller 13 down by centrifugal force to release the air or the 40 there is a casing or housing 16, which can be progaseous components thereof and to agglomerate 40 vided with a suitable base 1'7 for supporting the the bubble films. Since the valve 26 is normally same. The interior of this casing forms a treatclosed, no discharge of defoamed material can ment chamber 18 within which the material to be occur through pipe 23 until a substantial presdefoamed is treated. sure head has been transmitted through pipe 30 With the modification of Figure 1, the material to the chamber 28. Therefore, when a zone of 45 tobe deioamed is introduced into the chamber 18 defoamed material has accumulated within the through the rotating shaft 10. Thus, the shaft casing 16 to a depth sufliciently far to exert a in this case is formed hollow to provide an inner substantial pressure head upon the pipe 30, as, passage 19 into which liquid material can be infor example, to a depth indicated by line 31, the

troduced by way of pipe 21. Ports 22 are provided valve 26 is automatically opened to permit dis- 50 to permit flow of the liquid material from pascharge of the defoamed material. From this arsage 19 into the casing chamber 18. The disrangement it is evident that a zone of substancharge ofdefoamed liquid material from the castial depth of defoamed material will always be ing 16 occurs through a suitable pipe 23. This maintained within the chamber 18. During a pipe communicates with the outer portion of period of operation the inner line of demarcation of this zone cannot extend outwardly beyond the point of communication of the pipe 30 with the chamber 18, because under such conditions substantially no pressure is transmitted through pipe 30, and valve 26 is closed to prevent the discharge of further defoamed material. This provision for the maintenance of a zone of defoamed material of substantial depth likewise causes the apparatus to automatically accommodate itself to variations in the rate of speed, aside from making impossible the discharge of material which has not been properly defoamed.

With respect to the manner'in which valve 26 serves to regulate flow through pipe 23, the opening and closing movements of this valve can be relatively abrupt, in response to substantial variations in the depth of the zone of defoamed material in chamber 18, or,-if desired, valve 26 may be of such a character as to adjust itself between closed and full open positions, in accordance with the pressure transmitted through pipe 30. The latter mode of operation is desirable under conditions requiring a substantially uninterrupted fiow of the defoamed material.

The modification illustrated in Figure 2 operates in substantially the same manner as the modification of Figure 1. However, in this case the drive shaft 32 is shown arranged vertically and, instead of supplying the feed material through the drive shaft, the shaft 32 is solid and has its lower end connected to the impeller 33. The casing 34 is arranged horizontally and is shown supported by a suitable base structure 36. The lower side of the casing 34 is provided with a centrally located inflow opening 37 which is in communication with the feed pipe 38. The outflow opening 39 leads oif tangentially from the casing 34 and communicates with the discharge pipe 41. The flow control 'valve 42 in the discharge conduit 41 likewise has a pressure-operating chamber, as with the modification of Figure 1, which is connected to one side of the casing 34 through a pipe 43.

It is evident that my invention has wide application where foamed components of liquid material are undesirable. For example, I have employed it with good results in the dairy industry for the defoaming of milk, thereby facilitating the handling of this material and the carrying out of special processes for the manufacture of milk products. Since the apparatus serves to discharge the defoamed material under considerable head, its use in many instances will enable elimination of further pumping equipment, to deliver the material to a considerable elevation or to further apparatus under pressure.

I claim:

1. Defoaming apparatus comprising a casing adapted to receive a stream of foamed liquid material, means for causing a body of said material to swirl about within said casing whereby foamed components thereof are defoamed, liquid outlet means communicating with the casing for effecting removal of defoamed liquid from the outer portion of said body under the centrifugal head thereby developed and without refoaming of the same, and means for automatically maintaining a zone of defoamed material within said casing and extending inwardly for a substantial distance from said liquid outlet means.

2. Defoaming apparatus comprising a casing adapted to receive a stream of foamed liquid material, means for causing a body of said material to swirl about within said casing whereby foamed components thereof are defoamed, said casing being provided with an outlet opening and a discharge pipe communicating therewith for effecting removal of defoamed liquid from the outer portion of said body under the centrifugal head thereby developed, and means for automatically maintaining a zone of defoamed liquid material within said casing and extending inwardly for a substantial distance from said outlet opening, said last means including mechanism for regulating the flow rate of material with respect to said casing, said mechanism being responsive to variations in the depth of said zone.

3. Defoaming apparatus comprising an impeller adapted to be rotated, a casing embracing said impeller and'adapted to receive a stream of foamed liquid material, whereby a body of said material is caused to rotate with the impeller and about the interior of the casing, said casing being provided with an outlet opening and a discharge pipe communicating therewith for effecting removal of defoamed liquid from the outer portion of said body under the centrifugal head thereby developed, and means for automatically maintaining a zone of defoamed liquid material within said casing and extending inwardly for a substantial distance from said outlet opening.

4. Defoaming apparatus comprising an impeller adapted to be rotated, a casing embracing said impeller and adapted to receive a stream of foamed liquid material, whereby a body of said material is caused to rotate with the impeller and about the interior of the casing, said casing being provided with an outlet opening and a discharge pipe communicating therewith for effecting removal of defoamed liquid from the outer portion of said body under the centrifugal head thereby developed, and means for automatically maintaining a zone of defoamed liquid material within said casing and extending inwardly for a substantial distance from said outlet opening, said last means including mechanism for regulating the flow rate with respect to said casing, said mechanism being responsive to variations in the depth of said zone.

5. Defoarning apparatus comprising an impeller adapted to lee-rotated, a casing embracing said impeller and adapted to receive a stream of foamed liquid material, whereby a body of said material is caused to rotate with the impeller and about the interior of the casing, said casing being provided with an outlet opening and a discharge pipe communicating therewith for' peller adapted to be rotated, a casing embracing said impeller adapted to receive a stream of foamed liquid material, whereby a body of said material is caused to rotate with the impeller and about the interior of the casing, said casing being provided with an outlet opening and a discharge pipe communicating therewith for effecting removal of defoamed liquid from the outer portion of said body under the centrifugal head thereby developed, and means for automatically maintaining' a zone of defoamed liquid material withconnection between said regulator and said cas in said casing and extending inwardly for a subing, the point of communication of said connecstantial distance from said outlet opening, said tion with said casing being inwardly a substanlast means including a pressure-operated regutial distance from said outlet opening.

5 lator for controlling the rate 01' flow of liquid through said outlet opening, and a fluid pressure DAVID D. PEEBLES. 

